VanderLans's second book of photographs in a series that began with Palm Desert, is a tribute to Don Van Vliet, the founder and leader of the cult outfit, Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. VanderLans retraces their trail, photographing the places and neighborhoods frequented by the Magic Band in the late 60s and early 70s. What emerges is a bittersweet picture of Southern California that blends a sense of nostalgia with the cold reality of passing time and urban development. The photographs show the suburban Southern California landscape as it is today - a land of lush vegetation, concrete, deserts and subdivisions, all under the same vast blue sky.
The book includes a bonus CD containing three musical tributes to Don Van Vliet created specifically for this publication by original Magic Band members Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo), John French (Drumbo) and Gary Lucas. Playing time 17 minutes.
96 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, 36 full color photographs, cloth cover with blind emboss, sewn and case bound, with a CD attached in the back.
This book is part of a trilogy:
Buy the trilogy (Palm Desert, Cucamonga, and Joshua Tree) for $64.85 and save $10.00!
Buy Supermarket with the trilogy (Palm Desert, Cucamonga, and Joshua Tree) for $80.00 and save $14.85!
Excerpt from Cucamonga.
As I headed for Amor Road, I thought of our
meeting yesterday. Up to that point, I had only corresponded
with him by email and talked on the phone once. I had called
him from the MacDonald’s parking lot at Crescent Heights
and Sunset the day before. He seemed friendly and mentioned
he’d be more than happy to show me around Lancaster.
Earlier in the week he had done a bit of homework, trying to
refresh his memory regarding certain spots. The restaurant in
Mojave had been torn down, he said. Don loved to go there.
After I picked him up, we headed first for
Carolside. We drove up and down the street a few times, but he
couldn’t pin down the exact house. It puzzled him. He was
sure the house we were looking for had a garage that faced the
street but opened on the side. There is only one house on that
street with a garage like that, but when we found it, it
didn’t look right to him. It looked different in his
memory. I suggested that maybe they had rebuilt the garage. We
drove up and down a few more times, but none of the other
houses looked any better. Then we drove back to the house with
the odd garage. I parked the car across the street, and he took
a long look at it. He said they probably painted the house, and
that’s what was throwing him. Afterwards, we drove to the
other side of town and without hesitation he pointed out the
mobile home. I was struck by how small it was and how different
from what I expected. But there it was.
